A Need for Work/Life Balance Returns

May 19, 2012

Working away from family on a ship makes the total commitment to work quite easy. Work begins early in the day and generally finishes late in the evening. The mid-day break is dictated by the work schedule for the day. The time can vary, and occasionally it is simply skipped. Sometimes, since your office is only a few minutes commute by foot from your home, it is simple to make the decision to return to work in the middle of the night . . . and I have. There is not work/life balance because your work is your life. You never leave work behind. No need to ‘balance’ when the two ‘halves’ of your life are one and the same.

But with FOB (Family on Board) you need to find the balance that has been non-existent up until that point. Depending on the neediness of your guest this can be a major or minor disruption to the routine. I’ve had some crewmates indicate that their guests expected total attention from them and they felt the stress of fulfilling their duties while not disappointing their guests. On the flip side, some crew members laugh that their guests are totally independent and they rarely see them. Fortunately, Rosie’s visit fell somewhere in the middle. I wanted to spend time with her but she understood my need to get work done. So, the two halves were now separated and the need for balance returned.

The pattern we agreed on seemed to meet both of our needs. I continued to get up early and go to work, allowing Rosie to sleep just a little longer in the morning. My morning was mine to focus on all the tasks of the day. Rosie would use her comparable hours working out in the gym, joining a shore excursion as a Tour Escort, or curling up with a book or puzzles in the Hideaway. Sometime between 12:30pm and 1:00pm we would meet for lunch in the Ocean View Café. On days that I could get off for a shore visit then I would change and we would head out. That was not possible on all days so Rosie would pick up on whatever activity she had missed in the morning while I returned to the office. Whichever path we took through the afternoon I needed to be back at my office at 5pm where I would stay until 7:30pm, or so. Then, and this was the most important change, once I closed down my office I was done for the day. Dinner and a show or time with friends normally fleshed out the rest of the evening.

I almost felt like a normal working stiff, again. I was now ‘home for dinner’ and family time before bed. Undoubtedly a healthier lifestyle, but one I probably shouldn’t get used to.

That’s not how ship life works.

And the adventure continues . . .